NHIA Condemns Garu Office Shooting: Four Dead, Five Injured in ‘Cowardly’ Attack; Authority Pledges Justice and Support
The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has issued a heartfelt condemnation of the deadly shooting at its Garu District Office in the Upper East Region, describing the October 20 attack as a “cowardly and senseless act of violence” that claimed four lives and left five others wounded.
In a press release dated October 21, signed by Chief Executive Dr. Victor Asare Bampoe, the NHIA expressed profound grief for the victims—including an NHIA staffer, Garu G/A Primary School headteacher Yahaya Bukari, a local chief from Werichengo, and a bystander—while vowing collaboration with the Ghana Police Service to ensure the perpetrators are swiftly apprehended and prosecuted.
“The NHIA is deeply saddened by this tragic incident that has robbed our nation of precious lives and left families in unimaginable pain,” Dr. Bampoe stated, extending condolences to the bereaved and wishing speedy recovery to the injured, who are receiving treatment at Garu Presbyterian Hospital.
The authority has dispatched a high-level management team to Garu to provide immediate psychological support to traumatized staff and families, alongside reviewing security protocols across all 261 district offices nationwide to prevent future threats.
The assault unfolded around 10:00 a.m. on October 20, when four unidentified gunmen on two motorbikes stormed the NHIA premises near the Garu G/A Primary School, firing indiscriminately and pursuing fleeing civilians, including schoolchildren.
Eyewitnesses, including former Garu District Assembly Presiding Member Edward Ndebugri, recounted the chaos: “We heard gunshots… The gunmen chased them in the direction they fled, and when one of the teachers fell, they shot him dead,” referring to the slain headteacher who was shielding pupils.
